RADIATOR/COOLING problem. - BMW Forum

L337PCNOOB · 12-17-2008, 09:17 PM

I was driving back from the mall and then i heard a pop and next thing you know coolant is steaming up and i know that my radiator hose or heater hose busted. so i called a tow truck and he took me home the car still drive perfect(only drove to park). Are there any links or DIYS showing you how to replace the heater hose/lower radiator hose? the upper radiator hose is fine i plan on doing it tommorow morning? Any input will be helpful. and how hard is it.

witeshark · 12-17-2008, 10:17 PM

Have you had a look with the forum search? There are quite a few threads on this sort if issue. In any case, after the new parts are on, very careful system bleeding of air is crucial.

marti5 · 12-18-2008, 04:13 AM

E46 or E90 ??

Jared@EACTuning · 12-18-2008, 04:33 AM

Yes, LOTS of DIYs around.

What car?

L337PCNOOB · 12-18-2008, 07:30 AM

the car is an E46. should i just take it to the dealership? my extended warranty doesnt cover this i dont believe so i thought i t would be cheaper if i did it myself. i swaped a motor into a civic so im pretty hands on. and ill search the threads more.

dcuse32 · 12-18-2008, 08:22 AM

i had a problem like that with my 1997 318i..it blew a hose just how you did and i fixed the hose but it wasnt the problem. come to find out i had a clog in my radiator

Jared@EACTuning · 12-18-2008, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L337PCNOOB

the car is an E46. should i just take it to the dealership? my extended warranty doesnt cover this i dont believe so i thought i t would be cheaper if i did it myself. i swaped a motor into a civic so im pretty hands on. and ill search the threads more.

If you change your own oil you can do the cooling system change. Nothing special here. Just manual labor.

Jared

marti5 · 12-18-2008, 09:23 AM

Pipes go all the time, I changed the whole lot on mine, when the 1st one went I just thought which one's next so easy to do unless you have a V8 or V12 then there's a small one at the back which is prone to go guarrented 80,000 to 100,000 miles, anyway 9/10 all you need is a screw driver, unless its the factory clips you'll need a pair of pliers or side cutters to get them off, so 2 new clips req'd, just go to BM dealer and tell them model, cc, year, better still your VIN number, then just point to which one you need on the screen, its that easy ( might need to be ordered) if its the origianl it will have the part no. on it so you can do the order over the phone, 10/20 minute fix. Oh dont forget the coolant!

L337PCNOOB · 12-18-2008, 06:38 PM

well thanks guys for all the input, umm it was actually my cooling reservoir, 234 dollars with labor lol.... man i think within the next month im going to go ahead and get my oil upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat all done. They did the pressure test and found the problem, pretty crazy.

Bishopfolds · 02-02-2009, 03:52 PM

i just went through the same problem however it was first my hoses-fixed them myself then the expansion tank went about a week later and fixed that myself. when BMW says to change these items every 60k its for good reason. I would go ahead and change the hoses asap and change the water pump too while you're at it-also suggested by BMW for every 60k. seriously tho, don't go to a dealership to change the hoses- it is a complete DIY. everything to do it can be found in threads from this site. i am a noob as far as experience goes with BMWs and i replaced my hoses, coolant temperature sensor, thermostat, water pump and flushed/filled my coolant just by reading what people on this site have posted. One last thing, follow the instructions of refilling coolant properly!